Left in the Lurch
by Itachi.and.Sakura
Summary: Itachi is to pick out his brother's first slave for his upcoming birthday, but finds himself unwilling to hand her over. ItaSaku AU


Left in the Lurch

Chapter 1

A small child walked between a man and a woman, her hand holding onto her mother's tightly as she did her best to keep up with their brisk pace. She nodded carefully to each of their instructions, her intelligent mind storing their commands as she swore to obey every word. Good little girls listened to their parents, and Haruno Sakura was the best little girl anyone could ask for. Her father told her so.

"Remember, Sakura-chan, to listen to everything they tell you to. We'll come back as soon as we can, as long as you obey and never, ever complain or cry, okay?" Her mother looked at her expectantly as they rounded the corner, and Sakura voiced her agreement with a smile. Tears welled up in her eyes at the idea of leaving her family, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. As her mother had often reminded her, good little girls did not cry.

Eventually, both adults came to a sudden halt, and Sakura quickly followed suit, peering up at the tall door before her. Her hold on her mother's hand tightened, but the older female did not appear to notice as she easily slipped it out of her daughter's grasp. While her father moved to knock on the door, her mother knelt before her.

"Sakura-chan." Wide green eyes moved to focus on her mother immediately, the horror of being separated from her parents only now setting in. "Mommy loves you forever and always." The young girl swallowed nervously before replying.

"Sakura-chan loves Mommy too - forever and always." She managed a bright smile to ease the worry she was sure her mother felt.

For some reason, the smile that was returned to her was not as comforting as it usually was.

* * *

The building was at least several hundred years old, and the smell and dilapidated appearance only supported this observation. A young man, barely an adult, really, walked stiffly down its halls. His long, raven hair swayed behind him as he easily kept pace with the older male who was licking his lips in a way that could only be described as _ravenous_. The glances he threw at his customer were ignored, however, though this did not seem to bother him in the least.

"Now, _Itachi-sama_," began the elder of the two, the near hiss startlingly reminiscent of the snake Itachi knew him to be, "is there a particular gender you would prefer? I recently acquired several extremely _talented_ boys from Iwa - neither are any older than ten, and I have no doubt that they will fulfill your needs to the utmost-" He spoke faster as his excitement mounted, but was interrupted soon enough.

"_She_, is to be a present for my brother, Orochimaru. I have no need for one of my own." The subtle emphasis was warning enough of Itachi's irritation, and the one named Orochimaru was wise enough to hold his tongue.

If Itachi had it _his_ way, he would not be here in the first place. Sasuke would be content with receiving nothing at all, he was sure. He might even expect it. Gifting him with a living _person_ would only be seen as an attempt to distract him from his goal to take his place as heir. It was unfortunate that Uchiha Fugaku, their father, was not an easy man to deny, and the clan's patriarch wished for his oldest son to personally pick out a slave for his younger brother. No doubt the man hoped that he would find a girl for his own pleasures.

Being a slave owner implied wealth and superiority, after all; both of which his clan craved more than anything.

Itachi carefully concealed exactly what he thought of his father's motives.

"She must be of age, no younger," the Uchiha informed the man in a tone that demanded immediate compliance. Orochimaru nodded agreeably as he allowed Itachi to glide pass him into the spacious room, still smiling with poorly concealed glee. The Uchiha were excellent clients, and if could just lure the clan prodigy into taking a girl of his own... "That is all."

Immediately, Orochimaru left the room through a different door, and Itachi waited for a minute at most before numerous scantily clad females filed through, their heads bowed low.

Normally, the _merchandise_ (and Itachi was left with a bitter taste in his mouth for even thinking the term) would be sold at an auction, but an Uchiha could not be expected to lower themselves to attend such a thing, despite the common knowledge that they were, in fact, quite notorious in part for their dealings in human trafficking.

Itachi's jaw clenched minutely, before beginning the selection upon Orochimaru's return. The snake seemed to understand that his opinion would not be tolerated and kept quiet. A cursory glance informed him that there were close to eighty or so candidates, and he silently made his way down each row, mentally dismissing each of them as he did so in spite of the fact that he did not exactly have a clear idea of what it was he should be looking for in his brother's potential slave in the first place.

As he eyed one female he thought his brother might appreciate (Uchiha-like in appearance and posture; not that he had ever conversed with Sasuke on his taste in women), his eye caught sight of a curious gaze directed at him - the first, as none of the others had the courage to look him in the eye.

Pink hair was the first thing he noted as he made his way toward the girl, interestingly enough, followed immediately by verdant eyes, then a slender - but not drastically thin - body. She wore a thin, worn shirt and a short skirt that left nothing to the imagination. His eyes returned to her own, which were still observing him with a glint that was no longer curious, but knowing, like she had just solved a puzzle, and the answer somehow amused her.

"What is your name?" he questioned in a lilting tenor. All emotion cleared immediately, and the girl bowed deeply into a near ninety-degree angle before replying.

"My name, is whatever you wish it to be, Uchiha-sama," she said softly. A ghost of a frown tugged at his lips.

"I did not request for an offer to name you myself," he returned. Her eyes darted once more to his, before lowering them submissively.

"Please forgive me, Uchiha-sama. My name is Haruno Sakura." He nodded.

"Age?" He could not be sure they truly were legally an adult, knowing Orochimaru's character as he did.

"I turned eighteen in the spring, Uchiha-sama." Itachi did not respond for a while, studying the girl carefully with narrowed eyed.

"Tell me, Sakura-san, what was it that had you so curious, earlier?" He watched her blink owlishly for a split second, before recovering.

"I beg your forgiveness again, Uchiha-sama," she paused for a moment to gather her words. "It was just a... surprise, to see you. I once overheard talk that the heir to the great Uchiha clan had disliked slaves, and refused to keep one himself." Though her voice was flat, there was a certain inflection he could not quite identify. The Haruno girl averted her eyes, clearly awaiting punishment for her presumptuousness. Orochimaru raised a hand to do just that, as could only be expected, but Itachi merely waved him off.

"That is incorrect." He did not need to clarify any further, and the girl hung her head low in yet another apology.

He studied her for only seconds longer, keeping his internal conflict masked.

The girl would most likely be a wild card, he mused. Itachi may not have been able to determine whether she had retained any sort of personality after the treatment she must have suffered, but her unique coloring combined with that spark of _something_ - rebellion, perhaps? - he had previously witnessed would guarantee that his brother would treat her with either contempt, or fascination.

Neither of which were acceptable.

No, the female he had been considering earlier would do fine.

Yet the Uchiha's gaze remained firmly locked on the pinkette before him. Sensing the attention, green eyes lifted to meet his own onyx orbs steadily.

He himself could certainly use a bit of change, he admitted cautiously, and company was something he was allowed very little of. It would please his father, however minimally, and would get him off his back for a short period of time.

"I take it you have made your decision, Itachi-sama?" Orochimaru's smile was nothing short of salacious, and Itachi had half a mind to cut his tongue off just to stop that irritating hissing despite his normally unflappable nature.

"Hn." He did not turn away from Sakura as he elaborated. "I will take Haruno Sakura, as well as the female in the third row, second to the last." He briefly nodded at the aforementioned woman. "Forgive me for not addressing you by name. Are either of you opposed to employment within the Uchiha clan?" Sakura scoffs silently at the word _employment_, and Orochimaru shoots her a violent glare.

"Of course they don't mind, Itachi-sama-" Just as he is quick to reassure the clan heir, the man himself does not hesitate to cut him off for the second time today.

"These women..." He murmured. Orochimaru stiffened almost imperceptibly at the dangerous tone he took, and rightfully so. "Do they have no tongues to respond with for themselves? If not, you would do well to check your own. You will never know the amount of trouble it may cause you until it's too late."

"I- Yes, of course, Itachi-sama." His eyes hardened, but he spoke no more, presumably satisfied with the fact that _the_ Uchiha Itachi would finally take a slave of his own. Itachi returned his attention to the two females expectantly.

"It would be an honor to serve your family, Uchiha-sama," they said in unison. Though obviously rehearsed, Itachi accepted it reluctantly.

Orochimaru gestured to another door, his smile returning without a moment's hesitation. "Now, it's just a matter of cost - if you'll come this way, Itachi-sama..."

The Uchiha spared one last look at Sakura before following closely.

* * *

AN: This is my first fanfic for this fandom, and I feel disappointed I can't do my OTP justice. If everyone else feels the same, I probably won't continue this. But, if anyone is interested, I have about seven other upcoming fics (most are ItaSaku). The summaries are on my profile, and if you have the time, I would appreciate it a lot if you would take the poll I have up.

I'm still not sure if this story will have a good amount of smut, or none at all. That's depend on what you guys want, too.

Either way, thank you for reading!


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